Quick Hits from Tomlin's Presser

Steeler coach Mike Tomlin just finished his presser. Here are the highlighs:

*The injury report was very good. Casey Hampton's hamstring injury does not appear to be serious and he may practice toward the end of the week. Max Starks' ankle sprained was misreported as a high-ankle sprain. It's a low ankle sprain and he may also practice toward the end of the week. Quarterback Byron Leftwich is making progress and may take some snaps in practice this week.

My Take: All of these reports are better than expected. I wouldn't anticipate any of three dressing this week, but it appears they all may be ready in the next week or two. Better than originally anticipated.

*Flozell Adams "is a right tackle" according to Tomlin. Historically, The Hotel played the left side and he has been making the transition with the Steelers this year. Tomlin will not move him if Starks can't go. He made it clear Jonathan Scott would start at left tackle after coming on to replace Starks during the game this week. Tony Hills and Ramon Foster will vie to back up tackle position.

My Take: Not moving Adams is the right choice. Starks will be back soon enough and Adams should stay and continue to improve and get comfortable on the right side. I'm surprised Hills wasn't considered as a possible starter this week, but as I've mentioned, line play is the hardest thing for a fan to evaluate. You have to see the film.

*Dennis Dixon was not told not to run and Tomlin is only concerned "about moving the chains." He basically said if running helps the team do that than so be it.

My Take: As I mentioned in my game recap, the Steelers need to design plays that occasionally put Dixon on the edge and take advantage of his speed and quickness. I would expect to see more of that this week.

*According to Tomlin, Atwaan Randle El did a nice job of securing the football on punt returns and making good decisions. He admitted that Antonio Brown brings a different dimension to the return game and his performance in practice along with the team's game planning would determine if he dresses this week.

My Take: The Steelers need to take advantage of all the weapons they have in this game. While it isn't the perfect scenario for Brown to get his first work, I would dress him and use him to return punts. Arnaz Battle dressed this past week but was a non-factor. I would give Brown a helmet and make Battle inactive.

*As always Coach Tomlin spoke highly of this week's opponent and singled out Chris Johnson. It will be the first time the Steelers take on the Titans with Vince Young as the starter.

My Take: This will be a very tough game for the Steelers. They need to shutdown Johnson and make Vince Young beat them. At the same time, Dixon needs to play better in order for the Steelers to win.